Part 504

6:27. And unless thou speedily prevent them, they will do greater things than these, and thou shalt not be able to subdue them.

6:28. Now when the king heard this, he was angry: and he called together all his friends, and the captains of his army, and them that were over the horsemen.

6:29. There came also to him from other realms, and from the islands of the sea, hired troops.

6:30. And the number of his army was an hundred thousand footmen, and twenty thousand horsemen, and thirty-two elephants trained to battle.

6:31. And they went through Idumea, and approached to Bethsura, and fought many days, and they made engines: but they sallied forth, and burnt them with fire, and fought manfully.

But they sallied forth. . .That is, the citizens of Bethsura sallied forth and burnt them, that is, burnt the engines of the besiegers.

6:32. And Judas departed from the castle, and removed the camp to Bethzacharam, over against the king's camp.

6:33. And the king rose before it was light, and made his troops march on fiercely towards the way of Bethzacharam: and the armies made themselves ready for the battle, and they sounded the trumpets:

6:34. And they shewed the elephants the blood of grapes, and mulberries, to provoke them to fight.

6:35. And they distributed the beasts by the legions: and there stood by every elephant a thousand men in coats of mail, and with helmets of brass on their heads: and five hundred horsemen set in order were chosen for every beast.

6:36. These before the time wheresoever the beast was they were there: and whithersoever it went, they went, and they departed not from it.

These before the time. . .That is, these were ready for every occasion.

6:37. And upon the beast, there were strong wooden towers which covered every one of them: and engines upon them, and upon every one thirty-two valiant men, who fought from above: and an Indian to rule the beast.

6:38. And the rest of the horsemen he placed on this side and on that side, at the two wings, with trumpets to stir up the army, and to hasten them forward that stood thick together in the legions thereof.

6:39. Now when the sun shone upon the shields of gold, and of brass, the mountains glittered therewith, and they shone like lamps of fire.

6:40. And part of the king's army was distinguished by the high mountains, and the other part by the low places: and they marched on warily and orderly.

6:41. And all the inhabitants of the land were moved at the noise of their multitude, and the marching of the company, and the rattling of the armour, for the army was exceeding great and strong.

6:42. And Judas and his army drew near for battle: and there fell of the king's army six hundred men.

6:43. And Eleazar, the son of Saura, saw one of the beasts harnessed with the king's harness: and it was higher than the other beasts; and it seemed to him that the king was on it:

6:44. And he exposed himself to deliver his people, and to get himself an everlasting name.

6:45. And he ran up to it boldly in the midst of the legion, killing on the right hand, and on the left, and they fell by him on this side and that side.

6:46. And he went between the feet of the elephant, and put himself under it: and slew it, and it fell to the ground upon him, and he died there.

6:47. Then they seeing the strength of the king and the fierceness of his army, turned away from them.

6:48. But the king's army went up against them to Jerusalem: and the king's army pitched their tents against Judea and Mount Sion.

6:49. And he made peace with them that were in Bethsura: and they came forth out of the city, because they had no victuals, being shut up there, for it was the year of rest to the land.

6:50. And the king took Bethsura: and he placed there a garrison to keep it.

6:51. And he turned his army against the sanctuary for many days: and he set up there battering slings, and engines, and instruments to cast fire, and engines to cast stones and javelins, and pieces to shoot arrows, and slings.

6:52. And they also made engines against their engines, and they fought for many days.